The stars have aligned for German wines, the weather has adjusted, international taste and palate interests have changed towards lower alcohol, more lean and food friendly wine and maybe even in the final hurdle the feeling of strangeness or complexity.

A new generation of winemakers in Germany have grown up with New World wines and with the ongoing drive towards foregrounding sourcing, traceability and sustainable agriculture.

German wines now lead the world in biodynamic and organic production, nearly all the best wines and producers have become completely committed to this movement. German politics embraced the Green cause a decade before most other western countries

Demeter, the most rigorous and prized Biodynamic certification is German in origin: prioritising wild ferments, eliminating excess sulphur and being immaculately harmonious in their vineyard work, is the only way for this younger generation.

The time for Irish wine lovers to reconnect with wine’s more open minded and diverse past is upon us and German wine may well be that forgotten future.

What people say?

What people say?

Foodie news doesn’t come in portions bigger than this – Redzepi is the head chef of Noma in Copenhagen, three times voted Best Restaurant in the World by Restaurant magazine, and as close as it gets to a culinary rock star.

Irish Examiner

What people say?

The most extraordinary A-list of acclaimed food writers ever assembled, and not just in Ireland. The array of talent is simply incredible, and testament to Ballymaloe’s world-class status.

John McKenna, food writer and publisher.

What people say?

Last year’s inaugural LitFest was one of the major success stories of the Irish food scene